December 11, 2009

D.J. Carrasco “probably” will be non-tendered

One pitcher probably out of the loop is versatile reliever D.J. Carrasco, who stands a strong chance not to be tendered a contract by Saturday’s 11 p.m. deadline. The Sox met Wednesday with Carrasco’s agent at the winter meetings in Indianapolis but were several hundred thousand dollars apart.

That could give rookie Daniel Hudson a shot at taking over Carrasco’s role as a long reliever while being groomed as a future starting pitcher.

With D.J. Carrasco likely to not be tendered a contract Saturday night and become a free agent, there is the chance that rookie Daniel Hudson could slide into Carrasco’s long relief role while receiving hands-on training from pitching coach Don Cooper and veteran pitchers Jake Peavy and Mark Buehrle.

But another consideration would be to send Hudson to the minors for more consistent work until he’s ready to join the major league staff. That would create a spot for Sergio Santos, who was converted from an infielder to a pitcher and possesses a 98 mph fastball.

Santos is out of options, and the Sox avoided losing him in Thursday’s Rule 5 draft by putting him on their 40-man roster. If Santos doesn’t pitch well in spring, the Sox could be faced with exposing him to waivers.